Volume VI. On greed.
Author: Jason Wu
At the beginning of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his courtiers, "People have pearls, so they are all valuable. Wouldn't it be a pity to play sparrow? What's more, a person's life is more than a pearl. He is not afraid of the punishment net when he sees money, but he is willing to pay his life. Pearls are things outside the body, and you can't shoot sparrows, not to mention the importance of life, which is based on wealth. If ministers can be prepared to be loyal and upright and benefit the country and the people, then the official position will be established. None of them can seek glory in this way, so they accept property for nothing, and when the stolen goods and bribes are exposed, they die, which is really ridiculous. The same is true of emperors. Indulge in indulgence, overwork, small trust groups, alienate loyalty. If there is, won't it die? It is also ridiculous that the emperor of Yang Di died at the hands of one person because of his arrogance and extravagance and wise SHEN WOO. "
In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong summoned courtiers and said, "I have tasted that greedy people don't know how to love money. If you are an internal and external official with more than five grades, your rank will be rich and you will earn more in one year. If you pay bribes, it will only be tens of thousands. Once exposed, Lu's rank was cut off. Is this the solution to love property? Those who get too little lose too much. In the past, public officials preferred fish to mermaids, and their fish lived forever. If you are greedy for the Lord, you will lose your country; Those who are greedy for ministers will die. " The poem says:' There is a tunnel in a strong wind, and greedy people are scum.' Solids are not fallacies. Yesterday, King Hui of Qin wanted to attack Shu, but he didn't know its path. He carved five Shi Niu and bought gold. When Shu people saw it, they thought that cows could make gold. The king of Shu ordered Wu Dingli to drag cattle into Shu, and the road was successful. Qin cut it, and Shu died. Han Dasi Nong Tian Yannian took bribes of 30 million yuan, which made him feel lifeless. How can you win with such traffic! I regard the King of Shu as Yuan Gui today, and so do you.
In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong summoned the officials and said, "I have worked hard all day, not only taking care of the people, but also trying my best to protect your parents' wealth." The sky is not high and the ground is not thick. I often work hard to fear heaven and earth. If you can serve Buddhism carefully, you will always be as fearful as I am. People will not only get peace, but also be happy forever. The ancients said,' A wise man's wealth undermines his ambition, while a fool's wealth leads to his mistakes.' This sentence may be a profound warning. Greedy for petty gain and cheap, the center will not always be afraid if it does not stop bad public laws and harm the people. There is a lot of fear and death. Do men have to be greedy for property to kill themselves and make their children feel ashamed? Qing and others should think deeply about this statement. "
In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Chen Wanfu, a right-back general, went to Beijing from Jiucheng Palace and illegally took the stones from the inn Bran. Emperor Taizong gave him bran to make him feel ashamed of his conceit.
In the ten years of Zhenguan, Wan Ji, a scholar in charge of books, said: "There are silver pits in Xuanzhou and Raozhou mountains, which are extremely profitable and can earn millions every year." Taizong said: "I am the son of heaven, and I have everything." However, we should accept good words that are beneficial to the people and do good deeds that are beneficial to the people. With millions left in the country, how can we get a talented pedestrian? If you don't see the things that push the virtuous into the good, you can't suppress the power of law, and tax is profit. Yesterday, Yao and Shun arrived at the mountain and threw themselves into the Yuyuan Valley, so they worshipped the name of beauty and spread it for thousands of years. Emperors Huan and Ling in the later Han Dynasty were the epitome of modern mediocrity. So you want to compare me to Huan and Ling? " It was the day when the imperial edict was issued that Wanji returned to the first place.
In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong summoned courtiers: "The ancients said that birds live in the forest, but they are afraid of not being high, and they nest in the wood; The fish hid in the water, fearing that the water was not deep and would return to the hole. However, what people get is because they are greedy for bait. " Today's ministers are all appointed, with high positions and good treatment. When they must be loyal and upright, they will be fair and honest, so there will be no disaster and they will remain rich for a long time. The ancients said:' There is no door to misfortune and happiness, and people call it.' However, people trapped in it are greedy for money and profit. Why is it different from husband, fish and birds? You should take this as a warning. "
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Author: anonymous
In the early years of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his courtiers, "There are pearls in people's hands, which are precious. Wouldn't it be a pity to use it to eject birds? " More importantly, human life is more precious than pearls. When you see gold, silver, money and silks, you are not afraid of legal punishment, and you immediately accept them directly. This is that you don't cherish your life. Pearl is an external thing, but it can't be used to eject birds, not to mention that life is more precious. How can it be used for property? If the princes can be loyal, honest and shameful and benefit the country and the people, then they can get the official title immediately. You can't use this kind of bribery to seek wealth, just accept property. It is really ridiculous that the stolen money will be damaged after it is exposed to bribery. The same is true of emperors, who are willful and indulgent, requisition labor indefinitely, trust villains and alienate loyal people. If they commit one of these things, how can they not perish? It is also ridiculous that Emperor Yang Di was extravagant and thought he was virtuous, but he died in the hands of one person. "
In the second year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to his courtiers, "I once said that greedy people don't know how to cherish property. Officials with more than five grades have high status and generous hands, and the amount of property they get in one year is very large. If you accept bribes from others, the number is only tens of thousands. But once the scandal is exposed, it will be deprived of official position and salary. Where can I cherish money? They lose a lot because of small things, and they lose more than they gain. Once upon a time, Gong Yixiu, the prime minister of Lu, liked fish very much, but he never accepted fish offered by others, so he could enjoy the delicious fish for a long time. If you are greedy, you will die; if you are greedy, you will die. The Book of Songs wrote:' The wind blows fast, and greedy people destroy their homes.' What you said is true! In the past, King Hui of Qin wanted to attack Shu, but he was not familiar with the road of Shu, so he let people carve five Shi Niu heads and put gold behind the stone. People in Shu saw it and thought that Shi Niu could find gold. King Shu asked five Hercules to drag Shi Niu to Shu, and the road from Qin to Shu was thus opened. So, the army of Qin followed, destroying Shu. During the Han Dynasty, Dani took bribes of 30 million yuan from farmland, and he committed suicide. And the list goes on. I take the king of Shu as a warning now, and you should also take Tian Yannian as a warning. "
In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to the Communist Youth League: "I dare not slack off for a day, not only worrying about the people and loving the people, but also wanting you to be rich for a long time. The sky is neither high nor thick. I have been careful for a long time, afraid of heaven and earth. If you can seriously abide by laws and regulations, you will never be afraid of anything like me, so that not only the people will be at peace, but you will also be happy forever. The ancients said,' A wise man's wealth undermines his ambition, while a fool's wealth leads to his mistakes.' This can be regarded as a warning. If you practice favoritism and corruption, it will not only undermine the national laws, but also hurt the people. Even if things are not exposed, how can we not always have fear in our hearts? Too much fear can also lead to death. Can a gentleman kill his own life for greed and shame future generations forever? You should ponder over these words. "
In the sixth year of Zhenguan, Chen Wanfu, a right-back general, went to Beijing from Jiucheng Palace. He illegally obtained several loads of wheat bran at the post office. When Emperor Taizong knew about it, he gave him the wheat bran and let him carry it out of the palace to humiliate him.
In the tenth year of Zhenguan, Shi Quan Wanji, a senior minister of the Ministry of Housing, wrote: "There are silver mines buried in Xuanzhou and Raozhou mountains. If it is mined, they can get huge benefits and pay millions of dollars to the court every year. " Emperor Taizong said: "I am the son of heaven, and I know a lot about this kind of thing." Now, all I need is good advice and good behavior. What's the use of increasing national income by millions? You don't recommend talents, praise good deeds, expose the wicked, destroy the mighty, and only know silver mines. At that time, Yao and Shun threw the beautiful jade into the mountains and the orb into the abyss, winning a high reputation that will last forever. After the Han Dynasty, Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling paid more attention to profit than righteousness, which was famous in modern times. Are you comparing me with Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling? " On this day, he ordered Wan Jiwei to cut the official.
In the sixteenth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong said to the courtiers: "The ancients said:' Birds live in the forest, fearing that the trees are not high, so they nest at the top of the trees; Fish hide in the water, afraid that the water is not deep, so they make holes in underwater caves. However, what can be caught by people is because of greed for bait. "Since the minister was appointed, high status, food and clothing, you should be loyal and upright, follow the principle of honesty and selflessness. Only in this way can we avoid disasters and maintain wealth for a long time! The ancients said:' There is no door to misfortune and happiness, and people call it.' Those who challenge the law are greedy for money. How is this different from those fish and birds? You should take these words as a reference and a warning. "
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